Yaroslav Amosov controlling David Rickels | Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The undefeated welterweight is looking to overcome Ed Ruth on the way to claiming the title this year.
Yaroslav Amosov could well be the dark horse when it comes to the Bellator welterweight division.
In a professional MMA career which spans around eight years and twenty-two contests so far, he is yet to taste defeat. Amosov (22-0) will headline a Bellator card for the first time this Friday night when he takes on Ed Ruth at the Winstar Word Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Ruth (8-1) is a three-time NCAA Division I wrestling national champion and is hoping to be the first to put an ‘L’ on Amosov’s record. The American bounced back from his first professional defeat by besting Kiichi Kunimoto and Jason Jackson respectively last year. It is an intriguing bout because of the pair’s grappling skills but Amosov intends to have the edge come fight night.
“I think Ed Ruth is a worthy opponent and a very strong fighter,” commented Amosov. “His achievements in wrestling are very respectable and he competed at the highest level. During this camp, I’ve devoted a lot of time to practicing my wrestling and I think that I am better than Ruth in that department. I consider myself a well-rounded fighter so am looking forward to testing myself on Friday night. I’m not really one to make predictions but I believe I will beat him by decision even though I will look for the finish if it is presented. I will make a statement after this fight so I won’t scatter words before it.”
Amosov is from the Ukraine and he first started practicing martial arts at the age of fifteen. His stepfather encouraged him to take up combat sambo so sent him to trainer, Serediuk Fedor, in order to learn the discipline. Amosov was still a teenager at that time so just wanted to be able to stand up for himself but when he started winning competitions, he took the sport more seriously.
Now at 26 years of age, Amosov likes to add a large amount of variety into his MMA training. Many fighters stay at one camp and training facility where they are surrounded by familiar faces but that isn’t what the Ukrainian likes to do. He constantly moves around to different gyms to work with a range of sparring partners so he always exposes himself to a plethora of styles and approaches. The undefeated fighter believes this is what keeps him in such excellent physical and spiritual shape.
Bellator’s welterweight division remains one of the most stacked in the organisation and is deep with recognisable names. Current champion, Douglas Lima, is moving up to the middleweight division in May to challenge Gegard Mousasi for the vacant title which leaves time for a clear challenger to rise up at 170lbs. The division is currently crowded but there is no obvious contender next in line. Amosov aims to face all of the best fighters in the weight class in order to get the respect he believes he deserves.
“The company has many dangerous guys in our division, but I consider myself the best and am focused on always improving as a fighter,” discussed Amosov. “I would like to fight with the biggest names in the division including Lorenz Larkin, MVP, Paul Daley and the champion, Douglas Lima, of course. The fact Lima regained the title so long after first winning it shows he is a real champion. However, I don’t like the fact that he is moving up to the middleweight division in a super fight without having a few title defenses first.”
Some have suggested that a victory over Ed Ruth on Friday night means that Amosov should be next in line for a crack at the belt. It’s a complicated matter though because if Lima were to win the middleweight title he may opt to stay at 185lbs for a little longer or if he drops back down, he may not defend his welterweight belt until the third quarter of the year at the earliest. Amosov isn’t letting any kind of title talk consume him but he has a plan in mind for when he wants to be champion.
“It is not for me to decide whether I deserve a title fight after this bout with Ed Ruth or not,” stated Amosov. “I am focused on this upcoming bout and do not like to look ahead. I’ll let Bellator decide. Of course, I will accept a shot at the title if it is offered. My goal is to constantly improve my skills and ideally become the champion this year.”
Bellator 239 can be viewed live on Sky Sports Mix at 2am GMT in the UK and Ireland, early on Saturday morning. Fans in the US can watch on DAZN at 9pmET/8c on Friday night.